WIP : Hasegawa 1/72 VF-22S Sturmvogel II Pt.1

Like all of their Macross series kits, Hasegawa engineered the kit to be done up in pretty straightforward subassemblies. I decided to do them up as much as possible before the painting process.

As usual, we begin with the cockpit. It’s quite sparse but should be OK with the pilot figure in it.

Next up, the (really) big fuselage. The engineering for this kit is abit odd. The top is fine. But the bottom is designed like a shell, with all the details in stage 1 (see below) being covered CFTs (stage 2) and integrated weapon pods (stage 3).

After the fuselage is done, I notice a huge gap at the back of it which is odd. I think what becomes the bottom plate here is the shield when the VF-22S is in Battroid mode.

I decided not to follow the instructions where you have to assemble the front section separately. I figure the fit would be better if I cemented the upper portion of the front section to the fuselage first, then fit the bottom portion. If there are any gaps or misalignment, at least it would appear at the bottom of the kit, easier to ignore. 😛